Swords and Pages! A Duel for Echidna's Opus!
----Between the eroded, crumbling ruins of a city lost ages ago and the crawling, overgrown vegetation, the blond mage had some difficulty navigating his way through the dense forest. With his green leather spellbook in his right hand, he swung his left dramatically back and forth as his finger tips magically sliced through the vines barring his way. This darn book bettah be worth it, he thought to himself as he forged a trail through the ruins. Ah'll be dayumed if I ever trust those "locals" fools again.... Those luddites couldn't even tell a tome from a tombstone. '' Eventually, after suffering through about three hours of mindless gardening, he reached an razed path running through the ruins of the rubble. The overgrown greens, freshly cut, were leading in the direction of the tomb that he was seeking. Not spending the time to question it, he quickly traversed the path given to him as he examined the handiwork of his unknown predecessor. With his newly received progress, he quickly reached the Tomb of the Broodmother. He was disturbed to discover corpses of at least a half dozen hideous, snake-like abominations littering the entrance. ''Well 'ow 'bout that? He pondered, requipping his green book for a brown book with gilded pages. Guess Ah'm not the only one lookin' for that book. One of Lyn's Butterfly's Blades were out, covered in a mucus colored substance. "Shit.." The swordsman said aloud. She was covered in the mucousy blood of the snake-like creatures, and the stench was appalling. All she wanted was to get that book, then get out. The green haired woman continued deeper into the crumbling tomb, scanning carefully for any traps that may await her. Hyde waded through the carnage of the vagabond, following the trails of blood and triggered traps as he assessed the situation. Whoevah they are, they know what they're doin.... '' he appraised. ''Despite all this, ah can't see a single trace of human blood yet. Ah must be gettin' close though... She heard footsteps and swivelled, drawing her other blade. "Who is there." She could not see anyone but she could hear the sound of footsteps. Lyn waited for the figure to appear. Hyde heard a feminine voice, most likely the skilled individual who beat him here. He quickly ducked away out of sight behind a serpentine pillar, his book at the ready. "Woah naow, Ah mean no trouble miss," he said diplomatically. "Ah'm 'ere jus' ta do some innocent archeology. Nothin' but rock work, alright?" "Are you after the book." She asked sternly. She had only seen the man for a short moment, but he was carrying a book. Lyn assumed that it was a spell book and was instantly on edge. "If so, it is mine. I need it." "Book?" he replied coyly, realizing he had taken her for a fool " Naow why would a pretty lil gal like yourself be needin' a book like that?" Lyn was taken aback was his thick accent. "I need it for money. I am broke and I'd prefer not to sleep in the woods tonight. Who are you anyways? Where are you from? I've never heard a voice like that." "Where ah'm from ain't real important, but it's far away." He began planning a more practical and less violent solution. "Listen, Ah'm doing pretty well of for myself, and ah've got a lot of Jewels to my name. If you jus' 'and over the opus ta me, ah'll make sure you've got enough ta last ya for a few months." "No thank you." She replied curtly. "I do believe that the book is worth more than what you would pay me. Now if you would excuse me, I am going to get that book." She turned around and sheathed her blades, continuing down to hall. "Well Ah was hopin' ya wouldn't say that," He said, stepping out of cover as the book faintly glows a sinister golden hue. "Sinful Law: Acedia." Suddenly, sprouting from the snake blood-soaked stones underfoot, sprout a small swarm of silver chains that seek to coil around Lyn and pin her down. Lyn unbuttoned two of the toggles on her dress, revealing the Oblivion Rune tattooed upon her collarbone. She pressed her fist against the mark and drew the Oblivion Blade. With a fierce strike, she severed the chains. "Please do not attack me. I do not want to kill you." "Ah'm not lookin' ta fight, but that book belongs in bettah hands... Dark Price: Bribe." Hyde offers Lyn the outward palm of his hand, a glowing ring of energy projecting in front of him. He suddenly vanishes from her view as Lyn feels unusually stronger as she is granted a new surge of magical energy. "Just the name of that spell is suspicious." Lyn left his hand alone and decided to continue walking and ignore the strange man's spells. Lyn feels an ominous rush of wind as Hyde sprints past her, cloaked by his Bribe. He invisibly changes his ledger to the green compendium. "Please reconsider mah offer," his voice echoed in front of her. "Ah'd hate ta see you go empty handed. Plant: Hookvine." A spray of tiny seeds springs from his cloaked fingers, burrowing into the rocks of the walls and ceiling. A long bundle of thorny vines grow forth from the tiles and wrap around the walls, making a weak but time consuming barricade. "Do not block my path Old Man. I will retrieve the book." The green haired woman turned and faced him. "I do not wish to cut you with this blade." She held out her right arm, one of her curved scimitars gripped lightly in her hand. "Then don't," his seemingly body-less voice echoed as he sprinted towards the book chamber, leaving her to deal with the vines. "Jus' let me pay you and take home the book. Ah'm sure Ah can compensate you far more than for your trouble." "That Bastard!" Lyn shouted and ran after him. The vines were irritating, she had spent several precious seconds cutting them down, and even after they tripped her as she dashed towards the fleeing man. "Get back here!" She called out during the chase. At least he will trigger the traps and not me. Lyn thought sourly. Hyde continues sprinting down the halls, the effects of his Bribe disappearing as he skids to halt. He takes the time to anylze the corridor. "Snake motif tiles, embossed face reliefs on the walls. Did all ancient civilizations 'ave a thing for arrow traps?" He gave an unimpressed sigh as he heard Lyn's footsteps getting much closer. "Oh boy... Mycostorm." As the tomb slowly glowed greed, a small cloud of spores poured from his fingertips, causing a line of giant, cyan mushrooms with putrid green pustules to sprout from the floor as Lyn approaches. Lyn stumbled and barely avoided the mushrooms though her nose crinkled at the smell. "What are those..." Lyn sent a throwing knife at his coat, attempting to pin the man to the wall. "N-nothin' bad, ah assure you," he said pinned to the wall, inches away from one of the arrow traps. "Just some harmless 'shrooms. They have a habit of poppin' if provoked... Like this." Hyde kicked one of the mushrooms with the side of his boot. The mushroom shudder as its pustules roiled, the boils eventually bursting in a violent gust of wind, causing all of the adjacent mushrooms to do the same. Hyde is torn from the wall and thrown down the corridor, sliding across the ground as he activates the arrow traps, just barely missing each one by inches. Lyn had no time to react to the arrows and blocked as many as she could though many grazed her body. "Dammit, now I'm really going to crush you now." She continued her path towards him was soon close. She thrust her blade downwards towards his shoulder, she didn't wish to kill the man, she wished to incapacitate him. "T-Tarthorn!" Hyde barely had time to react as he rolled to the side, a pitcher plant growing in front of Lyn The pitcher plant made a sickening hurling noise, lobbing a this glob of tar-like sap at Lyn's face as Hyde tried to scamper to his feet. Lyn stumbled backwards as the tar hit her face. "EWW Get. It. Off. ME!" She squirmed around dropping her sword, in an attempt to use both hands to remove the tar from her face. "This is so gross!" "Ah'm sorry, but ah need that BOOK!" He quickly ran away towards the book chamber, leaving Lyn to deal with the Tarthorn flower which continues to lob more globs of sap. The sap was incredibly thick and slimy though it does smell rather pleasant. It seemed to smell halfway between pine needles, rose petals and hickory wood. However, when the sap is covering your face, it tends to be overpowering. Hyde sprinted down the hall, somewhat out of breath as he's clearly unused to such athletic activities. He barely managed to miss several traps of swinging blades, the spinning scimitars grazing his back and slicing through his coat. Lyn swore, finally tearing the sap off of her. "I never want to smell like this again." she shivered, then continued her chase. "I need the book too!" She dodged the swinging blades in a series of acrobatic maneuvers. When she nearly reached him she leaps forward, trying to tackle him to the ground. Hyde and Lyn hit the ground with a violent thud as a bladed pendulum swings above them, threatening to slice them in twain. "G-Get offa me!" he said, struggling. "Jus' let me 'ave the book! Whatever they're payin' ya, Ah'll match it!" "Why should I! I was here first!" She kept her weight on top of him, waiting for him to submit. "I can't move anyways. I'd get skewered!" She finished. "Well think of it this way then," he proposed. "That blade'll easily slice ya in half, right? Well if I just arch mah back, like so...." As he begins to arch his back, the blade sweeped past Lyn, creating a clean cut through her shirt, barely grazing the skin. Lyn shivered at the pain and forced his body back down. "I. Cannot. Move... Don't make yourself a murderer all for the sake of a book." Hyde smirked. "Then don't force my hand. Either Ah get the book with your help, or Ah get the book without your help. It's your choice, darlin'." It was hard to tell if he'd actually do such a thing, but it seemed that he might just do it. "I will do no such thing. I am getting that book and selling it myself." Lyn started to crawl forward, her thighs on either side of his head. "Sorry for how awkward this is, but it's the only way I'll get that book!" Hyde immediately began to grapple for Lyn's ankles, turning his head to alleviate some of the awkward tension from the current situation. "Ah'm sorry, but Ah can't let that happen! Inkwell Sea!" The floor underneath them slowly began to ripple like water, both of them sinking into the ground as if it was quicksand. The color and shapes of the temple tiles faded into an empty blackish-red fluid, a large puddle of strange ink forming around them as they sank. "Do you ever give?!" Lyn continued trying to move forward, but she was hindered by the inky substance. "Please let me go!" "That! Book! Is! Mine!" Hyde tried to pull Lyn down into the mire with him, he himself up to the neck in thick ink. "Jus' admit it and give up! Ah've been more than reasonable, so why won't you just give in!" Lyn shrieked as he grabbed at her shirt. "Let me go! I'll never give up. I've got things I need to do! Now let me go!" "Just! Give-!" He was cut off as his mouth sank below the surface, still holding tightly onto her. He was determined not to let her go. She growled and requipped, summoning The Sword Of Heaven, then she slammed the heavenly blade into the stone and held on tight. Lyn grabbed his hand and started pulling him upwards. Hyde was slowly being pulled out of the mire, covered in droplets of ink as he grunted and clutched harder onto her. "Look, why dont we just settle this?! You jus' give me the book, Ah'll pay you whatever they promised you.You'd be a dayumn fool ta pass that up!" "They haven't promised me anything. I don't even know how much it's worth. There are so many rumors about it, so it must be expensive! I need it." Lyn continued crawling through the traps, trying to distance herself from Hyde. Hyde clamped his hands onto Lyn's ankles, being dragged along as she crawled through. "Well then how 'bout two hundred thousand! That should hold ya off for a while, right?!" "Damn! How much as that book worth? Lyn kicked him off, then stood, starting to run. She turned another corner and was relieved when she saw the final room. The walls were inlaid with gold and strange markings. In the center on a bronze pedestal was the book, Enchinda's Opus. He recoiled as she kicked him square in the face. "GAH! Sonofa-!" He quickly stood and chase after her. After a few seconds he reached the final room, still drenched partially in ink. "Listen! Ah've got ONE last offer!" He barked, clearly out of breath. "What." She said turning after she grabbed the book. "It better be good." Lyn finished. Hyde sighed. "Ah can try copying the book. It'd take a bit, but it's not like we're goin' nowhere in the meantime." Lyn stopped and thought for a second. "Why do you want this book? I mean, if it's really worth that much to you, I'd take three hundred thousand jewels for it." She tossed the book into the air, then caught it. The teen flipped through its pages and snorted. "It's of no use to me anyways." "Clearly not. Rare books jus' happen ta be mah specific specialty. Not like you'd care anyway." He began dusting himself off. "I'll take yet offer for three hundred thousand." "Alright. Do you have the money on you?" She smiled, ripping off idiots was one of her specialties. What could that old man do with a stupid book. "In a mattah of speakin' yes." He requipped an ordinary looking book, opening it to reveal a cache brimming with stacks of Jewel notes. He took a stack and removed the rubber band binding it, counting out notes before rebinding it and placing the rest back into the book as it vanishes from his hand. "Here ya are, three hundred thousand." Lyn walked forward and took the money from his hand and then dropped the book at his feet. "Pleasure doing business with you. Enjoy that crap book." "Oh Ah intend to," he said, picking up the book and brushing it of. He opened the book, flipping through the pages as the book slowly began glowing an ungodly light, reflecting off of Hyde's glasses. The light began to fill the room before he quickly closed the book, sending a crackle of energy down the tome's spine. "Pleasure doin' business with ya," he responded, a wide smirk on his face.